Software Code's file name must include engineer's Aadhaar number : Government

New Delhi: As per the new circular from Government of India, henceforth Aadhaar number must be compulsorily added at the end of the file name.

It has asked IT companies to ensure no piece of code gets checked-in unless the file name contains engineer’s Aadhaar number. This new rule comes into effect immediately and going forward if any IT company is found deviating from this rule, severe penalty will be imposed on them.

While talking to us, Mr. Arun Mukundrajan, secretary to Ministry of Information Technology, said, “This situation would not have come, had the industry would have adopted this change on their own. Being an industry who have brought so many things to India for first time, like people working nonstop past midnight almost regularly without asking for OT (Over-Time), managing just with CT (Cigarette-Tea). We thought industry will take immense pride in taking this initiate on their own. More so because this Aadhaar drive was started by one of their own veteran, Mr. Nilekani.”

When we asked Mr. Mukundrajan, the logic behind this new rule, he said “Everything Government does, do not look for logic. We have inserted Aadhaar wherever we could like bank account, insurance, IT return, PF. Now we have to take it to next level. Our motto is, we want Aadhaar to play more meaningful rule in our daily life, here is one more addition.”

On our questions, what about old files that will remain unattended, he said, “Yes, from now on industry will have two sets of files, Orphan files and Aadhaar files. By default, all new files will be Aadhaar files. However, when someone touches Orphan files, he must give his number so that world knows one day he had done chedkhani with that file. As files moves from one to another, everyone needs to append their Aadhaar number.”

During code review it was found, one engineer has put his house owner’s Aadhaar number. When we asked him about it, he said, “That day it was late, no one was around. I had to check-in an urgent piece of code, it asked for a proper Aadhaar number. I had forgotten mine, so submitted with my house owner’s number. Thank God office people ask for house owner’s number for HRA proof, it was on my mind.”